Rochester Rhinos News Release - www.rhinossoccer.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

ROCHESTER, NY -- The Rochester Raging Rhinos announced today that they have re-signed forward Chad Severs. The team has also inked former Canadian youth international defender Leigh Sembaluk. Both players were signed to one-year deals that are still pending US Soccer approval.

Severs, 25, will spend his third season with the Rhinos in 2008. The Vineland, NJ, native has three goals in 16 appearances in his first two seasons with Rochester. He found the back of the net three times and added one assist in 2007. Severs has recorded 22 goals in 32 games with the United Soccer Leagues Second Division's Harrisburg Islanders over the last four seasons.

So far this winter he has one goal in five appearances with Otago United in New Zealand. Severs attended Penn State University from 2001-05, where he led the Nittany Lions in scoring for three straight seasons. He was named the Big 10 Rookie of the Year in 2001 and was also named to the U-20 US National Team pool.

"Chad has been a valuable part of our squad for two years," said Rhinos Head Coach Laurie Calloway. "Hopefully this season, he will be able to stake a claim for a first-team spot. He's important to our team because he is able to come off the bench and score goals. His goals to playing-time ratio is as good as most and better than some."

Sembaluk, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, is a senior at Simon Fraser University. The 22-year-old defender was named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American and All-Region in 2005 and led his team to Region I championships in 2003 and 2007. Sembaluk led the SFU defense to 16 clean sheets en route to an NAIA Final Four appearance in 2007. He recorded one goal and two assists in his senior campaign and started 16 matches after sitting out the 2006 season with an injury. Sembaluk has spent his last two summers playing for Columbus Clan FC (Vancouver, BC).

Most notably, Sembaluk spent two years (2001-03) in the Canadian U-17 and U-20 National Team player pools.

"Leigh brings balance to our left side, both as a midfielder or left back," said Calloway. "We were very impressed with his performance at the NAIA championships in Kansas in early December. He has a tremendous work ethic and has been a big part of Simon Fraser's success. He is an accomplished defender and attack player and can play right full back and midfield positions as well."